The Fear Within: A Star Trek Fanfiction
by BeverlyAnn
Summary: After the Enterprise crew discovers the long lost U.S.S Deimos, strange and eerie things begin to happen. Can the crew put an end to the terror, before it puts an end to them? Please review! It's my first story! :
1. Chapter 1

The Fear Within

A Fan Fiction story by Corey Sullivan

Part 1: The Discovery of the _Deimos_

_Captain's Log: Stardate 41915.2; On route to Nividia II, sensors detected a distress signal from the U.S.S Deimos, an explorer class star ship believed to have been missing or destroyed for over a decade. We have changed course and are currently headed towards the vessel; though I have doubts that there are any survivors left on board, as the signal sent was originally recorded ten years ago. _

"Captain, we are receiving a distress signal. It is from the U.S.S Deimos." Worf spoke abruptly, interrupting the captain's train of thought. Jean-Luc stood slowly from his chair in front of Worf's aft station and looked ahead of him. '_That's impossible.' _ He thought. "On speaker, Mr. Worf." At once he pressed a red, square-shaped button on the padd at his tactical station. Instantly the bridge was filled with loud static, interrupted by a grating, high pitched screeching noise. Some covered their ears, while others winced in pain and annoyance. "Turn it off, Lieutenant!" Picard commanded. Worf pushed the button once more and the bridge fell into complete silence. "I'm sorry, sir. The condition of the message was worse than I had anticipated. I will attempt to repair it." Picard nodded in response to the lieutenant. "Yes, do that. Mr. Data," Data turned around from his Ops Console and looked towards the captain. "How much do you know about the _Deimos_?" Data's subcore processers leaped into life and began to access his memory banks for the requested information. "Little is known, sir. The U.S.S. _Deimos _was a Luna class star ship, captained by Michael T. Bryant, which vanished over ten years ago. They were sent to a nearby planet to rescue a small group of archaeologists, after members of their dig crew mysteriously began to disappear. They began to experience technical difficulties on their way back to Starbase 195. Soon after, the ship disappeared."

"Sir, I believe I have sufficiently repaired the message." The Klingon growled. He was already in a particularly foul mood after losing several poker games to Riker earlier that day, and the loud noise the message produced was not helpful at all. "Good. On speaker, Lieutenant." Worf pressed the button once more, gritting his teeth in case the noise blared into their ears again. Instead a male voice came through the speakers, filling the room with the static filled message. "This is Captain Michael T. Bryant of the U.S.S. _ Deimos. _We've been attacked . . . [Crackle]. . nd we can't stop it. Everyone on board is dead. If anyone receives this mess. . [Crackle]. . . I repeat; do-Agh!" A piercing cry rang through the bridge, followed by dead silence among the senior officers present. Picard's eyes were fixed on the view screen; his face became somber and worried as his eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment.

'_What happened on that ship?' _

"Councilor, can you sense anything from that message?" "He was in great pain when he died," she spoke as she walked towards the Captain. "Something was there on the ship that greatly frightened him." Deanna's eyes were transfixed on the view screen. She had a terrible feeling that what had happened there could happen again.

Riker shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Normally he could suppress his apprehensive feelings to a certain point, allowing him to advise the captain in a calm, nonchalant manner, but this time it was different. His unease was telling him that something just wasn't right about this, even more so than normal. But he knew Picard would just negate his argument and tell him that it's important to them to discover the cause of their demise. He stood from his seat, gave a sharp tug to the front of his uniform, and strode to the Captain's side, who was already planning to send an away team down to the ship.

"Sir, I don't think it's wise to beam down to the _Deimos _just yet, at least not until we've had the opportunity to investigate it further." Riker spoke calmly, the trepidation which he felt being well masked by the poker face he had developed over the years.

Just as Riker had expected, Picard instantly stopped his debate, putting his hand up to Will as his diplomatic voice did the rest. "Number One, if we don't try to find evidence as to what happened on that ship ten years ago; then we will be just as guilty of their murder as those who killed them." Riker understood his point of course, but he still didn't want to take the chance, especially when it meant that they could suffer the same fate as the ship they were now preparing to search. "And Number One, I want you to ensure that on the first sign of trouble, you make no hesitation to beam back here immediately."

"Aye, sir." He replied, a dry snort through his nose the only sign of his contempt. "Ensign Ro, Worf, Data; you're with me." The signaled officers replied in silent unison; each standing from their positions on the bridge and followed in Riker's firm stride into the turbo lift doors to the transporter room.

Deanna could feel their fear about this mission. Even Worf had anxiety towards the task at hand. She wondered if she should speak out and warn the Captain, or if he would contradict every word she spoke. She decided to keep these emotions to herself, and not mention them unless it was necessary.

"Riker to Bridge."Will spoke to the Captain through his comm badge. _'Picard here. Are you ready to beam down?'_

"Yes sir."

_Transporter room,' _The Captain responded. _'Prepare to beam the away team down.'_

Riker could feel the tingling sensation of particles surging through his body as the lights on the transporter pad lit up brightly underneath their feet. He saw the view in front of him change from the well lit transporter room to the broken down bridge of the _Deimos_. _'Oh my god. . .' _was the only thing that ran through Riker's mind as he surveyed their new surroundings. Ops consoles and science stations were blackened from fried circuitry, chairs toppled over, everything in utter disarray except for one chair. The Captain's chair was the only thing on the bridge that was exactly where it should be, though it looked as mangled and destroyed as the other things in the room. The back of it was burned like it had been on fire, and the smell of its burnt exterior soured the air. It was torn, as if something had clawed at the back of the seat to get to the Captain.

Riker came around to the front of the bridge, and found Captain Bryant's body in the chair. His fingers clenched tightly around the arm rests, his uniform sagging into the gaps of his skeletal form. His jaw gaping open; giving them just an idea of the pain he felt during his death. Riker stepped towards the Captain's remains, the fear he felt welling up inside of him as he knelt down in front of the mangled body. The front of the uniform was torn in the same way as the back of the chair; four long tears ran down Captain Bryant's uniform, blood caked all around each one.

Riker put a hand over his mouth, and then slowly lowered his hand to his comm badge.

"Riker to Doctor Crusher."

'_Crusher here. Go ahead, Commander.' _He paused for a moment before continuing, the monstrous sight beginning to shake him. "We've found Captain Bryant, or what's left of him. I'd like you to run some tests on the body; see if maybe you can figure out what killed him. Prepare to receive the body."

'_Yes, commander. Crusher out.' _He signaled the transporter room to perform their new task, and watched as the skeletal mass began to glow, and then slowly fade away into nothingness. Riker stood and addressed the team in his always calm, nonchalant manner. "Data, I want you to go down to engineering and find out why the ship stopped working; see if you can fix it. Worf, I want you to go to Sick Bay and see if you can find any records, blood samples, anything that could help Doctor Crusher find out happened. Ro, you're with me."

The officers nodded and began performing their tasks like clockwork. Data and Worf went down to the deeper levels of the ship, while Ro fell in step behind the commanding officer. Her breathing was deep and somewhat rapid; he could hear each breath exhaled, then wither and die away in the unsettling quiet that consumed them. She was frightened. Riker pulled out his tricorder and began to scan the rather charred Ops Consoles. When he found one that was in a somewhat better condition than the rest, he began to work at it. He pushed the buttons hard, making a warped, scratchy beeping noise after each press. After several moments, Riker sighed in frustration and signaled the other half of his away team. "Riker to Data; have you found anything?"

'_Yes, sir. I believe the ship's problem was caused by a bio-electric discharge to the ship's main computer system. I am currently repairing the computer.'_ Data's level voice showed no trace of fear, the only calming part of his message.

"How long until it's repaired?" Riker asked.

'_The ship's computer should be back online in one minute, thirty-eight seconds.' _

"Good work, Data. Mr. Worf, have you found anything yet?"

'_Sir, I have found two bodies in cryogenic stasis; they bear similar injuries to those of Captain Bryant. I am preparing to beam them down to Sick Bay now.' _Worf growled.

"Alright, keep me informed." Riker pressed his comm badge once more, and sent the main bridge into utter silence. He continued to work on the console as Ro scanned the area for something, but Will wasn't sure what she was searching for. "Sir," Ro turned and faced him; he could tell by her tone that she was unnerved. "I don't think we should be here."

Will didn't bother to look up at her; he only spoke reassuringly. "Ro, whatever caused all this destruction probably died or left many years earlier. I don't think we have anything to worry about." Ro sighed loudly and set her jaw in discontent; she didn't like her opinions being ignored so abruptly. She suddenly heard a noise, like a screech or howl. "Did you hear that, commander?" She stammered. Her eyes shifted frantically as she searched for the cause of that awful sound. Riker sighed and addressed his fellow officer. "Did I hear what, ensign?" He looked up to find her back turned towards him.  
Out of nowhere, Ro fell toward the ground, as though something had pushed her from behind. She screamed, and Will saw that four long gashes now ran their way down Ro's back. Will stood and rushed over to help her stand, but he was pushed away by a tremendous force. He slammed into the Ops Console and fell to his knees. He looked down and saw the same marks on his chest as well. He winced and gritted his teeth from the pain as he pulled himself up to his feet. Ro was helpless; gashes and cuts started appearing all over her body as she struggled in vain to protect herself. Will pulled out his phaser and fired it at the empty air above her. He had to try something, _anything_ to make this thing stop attacking her. A loud, ear-piercing screech rang through the air of the bridge; Will winced from the noise as he rushed to her side once again. He took Ro into his arms and pressed his comm badge quickly.

"Riker to engineering! Data, we need to get out of here; alert Lieutenant Worf that we are beaming back to the _Enterprise_ immediately!"

'Aye, sir.' Data spoke.

The screeching continued as the familiar marks began appearing all around them. Sparks flew from stations receiving new damage; panels were torn off the walls and sent hurtling to the ground. He knew they needed to get out of there; now.

"Riker to transporter room three, prepare to beam the away team up; send Ensign Ro and I directly to Sick Bay; alert Doctor Crusher."

'Yes commander.' O'Brien said quickly. Soon after, Will could see the scene around him change from the destroyed bridge to the brightly lit Sick Bay.

"Alyssa, get the dermal regenerator and the hypospray ready." Beverly said as she rushed towards Will and Ro, her red hair flowing behind her like strands of copper. She took out her medical tricorder and scanned Ro's injuries. "Will, what happened to you down there?" She asked him with great concern.

"I don't know." He sighed as Alyssa treated his injuries. "Something attacked us; I-I couldn't see it. It was invisible." He explained. Doctor Crusher gave the hypospray treatment to Ro and began to heal her wounds. Ro was twitching and shaking uncontrollably, and she started to mumble incoherently in between moans of pain. Beverly held her arms and called to Alyssa for assistance. "She's convulsing! Get me 50 cc's of hydromethallyn! Another nurse pulled Riker to the side and continued to treat him while Doctor Crusher and Nurse Ogowa were busy. Beverly and Alyssa finally got her stable enough to be able to leave her and go check on Will. "What happened? What did she say?" Will muttered.

Beverly looked up at him, her eyes filled with worry. "She said 'It's here; on the ship.'" Will's eyes grew big as his heart sank in his chest. "What attacked you, Will?"

He looked up at her and spoke. "I don't know."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Not seen, but definitely heard

The senior officers sat in their usual places in the Observation Lounge, with Captain Picard at the head of the table. He sat there with his chin resting on his hand in deep thought, his eyes staring at the table as though it might reveal all the answers to him. After a long, silent pause, he looked up and began to speak in a concerned tone.

"What happened this morning was. . . . A tragic and senseless attack by an unknown being. As you all know, Ensign Ro sustained numerous injuries, and died a few hours later. I have notified her family and they will be taking the body for a funeral ceremony in four days." Troi could feel the sadness at the loss of the fellow officer. But the two who were most affected were Will and Beverly, and she could tell why; you didn't have to be an empath to understand.

"Doctor," He continued, "Have you found anything?" She looked back at him, her blue eyes deep and worried. "No, sir." She leaned forward and rested her arms on the table. "The only thing I've found so far is an unusually low level of epinephrine in her system."

"Epinephrine?" Riker questioned. Before Beverly could respond, Data offered a brief explanation.

"A synthetic form of adrenaline. The body releases this chemical from the adrenal glands to relax the airways and constrict blood vessels, often occurring when the body is experiencing extreme distress."

"Like fear." Beverly replied. Picard sighed deeply and turned his attention towards Data. "Data, the damage done to the ship's computer; were you able to repair it?"

"I was not able to finish repairing it, sir. There was a bio-electric discharge to the ship's main computer; I was still attempting to restore power to the computer when Commander Riker and Ensign Ro were attacked." Picard looked back down at the table, his mind racing. _'What is capable of this kind of destructive power?'_

"Alright," Picard continued, "Data, Worf; I want you to try and restore the message we received from the _Deimos_, see if you can get any more information from it. Doctor Crusher, keep running your analyses of the bodies recovered from the ship as well as. . . Ensign Ro's. There must be something- some clue that we're overlooking. And no away teams will be transported down to the _Deimos _for any reason; no exceptions. Dismissed." But before the officers could stand, Beverly interjected.

"Captain." "Yes, Doctor, what is it?" She sighed and continued. "It's not the _Deimos _we need to worry about anymore."

Picard's eyes flickered with concern as his eyebrows creased. "What do you mean?"

She bit her lip, nervous about the information she was about to reveal to him. "While we were attempting to stabilize her, she muttered 'It's here on the ship.'" She paused. "Whatever was over there on the _Deimos_, it. . May have been brought back here." She could see his eyes widen as the normal sparkle that was in them faded. She glanced at the other faces seated around the table; each one was streaked with the fear of something terrible and unseen.

"Alright, if it is here," he began "then I do not want anyone left alone; especially during the graveyard shifts. Officers will be assigned pairs until further notice. In the meantime everyone, stay on your toes. Dismissed." Everyone stood and left the observation lounge to proceed with their normal assignments.

Deanna fell in step with Beverly as they both headed to the turbolift, but she went unnoticed; Beverly had a lot on her mind. She could tell that Beverly was worried, scared, and a vast tangle of other emotions. But she also knew that Beverly was probably about as stubborn as the captain, and wouldn't come to her office for counseling when she had all that work to do, so now was the only time to talk.

"Beverly?" She spoke. Beverly turned towards her. "Oh, Hi Deanna," She smiled sadly as she spoke. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but I have the feeling that I should be asking _you_ that question." Beverly smirked slightly. "I didn't fool you then, did I?" Deanna smiled and shook her head as they proceeded down the hall. "So what's the matter?" She asked. Beverly shook her head as she pressed the button on the padd to activate the turbolift doors. The doors slid open and they walked in, with the doors sliding closed seamlessly behind them. Beverly crossed her arms and spoke her required target. "Deck 12." The turbolift sprang to life, quickly sending them towards the indicated destination.

"I just- I feel like I could have done more to save her; something that I didn't try, or maybe something that I did try that I shouldn't have." Beverly massaged her forehead with her hand as she tried to calm herself. She knew Deanna could sense what she was feeling, and wanted to calm down before she continued. She lowered her hand, and continued to speak.

"And what she said, it. ." She stopped, biting her lip to try and keep the mistiness from building up in her eyes. "What?" Deanna spoke calmly. Beverly looked right into her eyes. "It frightens me. What if we get stranded out here, left for dead; what if we become the next _U.S.S. Deimos_? What about Wesley? He's just come back for a visit, what if he gets hurt, or worse?" The tears swelled up in her eyes again.

Deanna tried to think of some reason as to why that same thing would not- and _could not_- happen to the _Enterprise_, but the _Deimos_ was once as powerful and magnificent as their ship. She placed a reassuring hand on Beverly's arm, and simply said, "We'll be alright, _Wesley _will be_ alright_; I promise. Has there ever been a time when the captain _didn't _save us all from a dangerous situation?" She finally got Beverly to smile; really smile. She shook her head and Deanna patted her gently on the shoulder. The turbolift doors opened on deck 12, and they both stepped out and headed to sick Bay. Deanna changed the subject to a happier one. "So, are you going to join us for poker tonight?"

Beverly smiled again, remembering the last time they all played. "Sure, what time?" "20:00 hours?" "I'll be there." They walked towards the doors to Sick bay, and Beverly pressed the button to open the doors.

All at once, they were met with Nurse Ogawa shouting orders and several injured people; bleeding badly and slumped onto Bio beds haphazardly. "Alyssa, what the hell is going on?" Beverly rushed over to one of the more injured men and covered his wounds with her hands. "Get the hypospray!" She shouted out loud to anyone listening. Another nurse brought her what she needed. He had the same injuries as Ro- exactly the same. "I don't know, Doctor! They said they were attacked by something in engineering, but they couldn't see it. I was about to use my comm and notify you when you walked in."

Deanna could feel Beverly's heart practically jump out of her chest as she began breathing deeper. Ensign Ro was right. The physical pain of the injuries was so overwhelming that she had to leave. When the doors slid closed behind her; she let herself fall back against the wall and stood there, motionless, as tears fell freely from her eyes. _'What if Beverly is right?'_

Beverly was able to get the man stable enough to put him into stasis. She was able to close most of the wounds, but some were too deep for just a simple dermal regenerator. As she wiped the droplets of sweat from her forehead, she noticed that the tips of her sleeves- and the ends of her hair- were tinged a dark red from his blood. Alyssa walked over to her with a padd, her dark eyes tired and worried.

"Here is a list of everyone who was attacked in engineering. Now on the list, there's someone. . " She silenced her by raising a calm hand and smiling tiredly. "It's alright, Alyssa. I can them myself." She took the padd and began reading the names to herself. "Ensign Dorn, Lieutenant Sirtis, and Cadet. . Crusher!" she murmured. Her eyes swelled with tears. "Wes! Alyssa, where is he?" She demanded. "He's resting now. His injuries were not that severe; he was the first person I treated Beverly. He's alright, I-" Alyssa, where _is _he?" Alyssa led her to the other room and to the bed that Wesley was resting on. A sharp pain struck her in heart with great force. He looked so calm and peaceful laying there, his chest slowly rising and falling as he breathed. _'No mother should ever have to deal with this pain.' _She thought. She ran her fingers through his hair as a few stray tears streaked her face. Alyssa was right, he would be okay. But that didn't mean that this thing couldn't come back and hurt him again, possibly kill him. She shuddered at the thought. She stood and blinked the tears out of her eyes, then pressed her comm badge. "Doctor Crusher to Councilor Troi." _"Troi here, go ahead Beverly."_ She pursed her lips, swallowed the lump that had just formed in her throat, and continued to speak, "I won't be able to make it to the poker game tonight; I'm not feeling very well."

"_Are you alight?"_ Deanna asked, even though she could tell that something was wrong.

"Yes, I'm just. . A little tired." She looked back at her son, that same pain hitting her again even harder. _"Alright, but if you change your mind, you know where to find us."_ "Thank you, Deanna. Goodnight."

"_Goodnight, Beverly."_ Beverly let out a deep and exhausted sigh, pulled a chair over, and sat down next to her son. She stayed there past midnight, and past two, and almost stayed past four until Alyssa forced her back to her quarters for rest and a change of clothes. But that night she couldn't sleep at all. Her mind kept churning the same thoughts over in her head. _'Why couldn't I save Ro? What did this creature want? Why did it attack my son?' _She pulled the covers tightly over her until they were up to her chin. It was then, in the solitary darkness of her room, that she could allow herself to cry, unashamedly, and until her shift was about to start the next morning.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Uneaten Breakfast

_Chief medical officer's log; Supplemental. It's been two days since the three crew members, my son included, were attacked by this unknown being in Engineering. Since then, there have been four deaths and nine injuries; several of these injuries were on councilor Troi alone. Some reported to be attacked by "something invisible", while others, like in Deanna's case, reported being attacked by familiar things: their pets, co-workers, friends, even their family members. We found soon after that all the people (and animals) accused of the attacks were in completely different areas of the ship at the time these attacks took place. We know now that this creature can not only appear invisible, but can take whatever form it chooses. As a science officer, this creature fascinates me. But as a mother, I can only hope that we are able find it and get rid of it soon, before it can hurt my son again. _

"I just don't understand it." Beverly said as she stood at the replicator and got another cup of coffee. She and Jean-Luc were having their breakfast together like they do almost every other morning, but neither of them could eat anything. Not today. Jean-Luc stared down into his cup of Earl Grey Tea, his mind replaying everything that he'd heard, everything that he'd seen, searching for some sign or clue that could be useful. She let herself fall back into her chair, exhausted after running blood and tissue samples all night long. Her blue eyes were outlined by dark circles and a veil of tiredness that she couldn't blink away no matter how hard she tried. She yawned and continued. "Everyone who died sustained serious injuries, but they were not life threatening; not with our technology, anyway."

Jean-Luc looked back up at her, studying her face for any sign of good news, but he could find none. "If their injuries were not life threatening, then what caused them to die?" She shook her head and looked down at her uneaten croissant, not looking back at him when she sighed and continued.

"Their epinephrine levels were extremely low; it caused some to go into cardiac arrest, and others to have severe gastrointestinal problems. In most cases they had just left Sick Bay and were returning to their quarters. It's like their bodies just gave up, too exhausted to keep going. By the time we got there it was too late." She tapped her fingers gently against the table, for some reason it seemed to help relax her. Jean-Luc sipped his tea, grimacing at how quickly it had gone cold. He set the cup aside, stretched his legs and yawned; it seemed like the only person getting any sleep lately was Data. He paused for a moment before he continued. "How is Councilor Troi?" He asked.

Beverly looked up at him and away from the cold croissant. "She's resting now; it's taking a while for her epinephrine levels to stabilize, so we've had to keep her in stasis for a little longer than I'd hoped."

"Attacked three times in two days. Can you imagine?" Jean-Luc said; she shook her head. He stifled a yawn and went on. "Are you any closer to figuring out what this creature is?" "No," she replied as cleared the plates of untouched food off of the table, "Other than the low epinephrine levels, I can't seem to find anything that could even identify what species this thing is." She settled herself down into the seat. He let out an exasperated sigh through his nostrils and spoke a little more slowly, emphasizing the importance of each word.

"Beverly, we need to find this thing and get rid of it before it gets the chance to hurt anyone else. More people could die; there are children on this ship who are in danger-" She stood from her chair and began shouting, hurt by the curtness of his words. "You think I don't know that? In case you might have forgotten Jean-Luc, my son was attacked by this creature too. I want it gone just as much as you do. I'm doing everything that I can, but there some things I just can't make disappear!" She turned away from him and put her hand against the wall, the combination of her exhaustion and too much caffeine in her system made her feel a little faint.

He stood and walked to her, resting his hand on her shoulder as he spoke reassuringly. "I'm sorry, Beverly. I know that you're doing everything you can." She turned and faced him, attempting to hide a yawn behind her hand. He smirked. "Maybe you should stop running your tests for now and get some rest." She smiled at him and waved the notion away with her hand. "I can't. I keep getting so close to figuring it out, and then it just slips away. Besides," She sighed, "Deanna should be ready to be taken out of stasis today, and I need to be there in case something goes wrong." She smiled and walked towards the door, then turned back towards him and spoke. "Thank you for the breakfast, Jean-Luc. I just wasn't hungry."

He walked over to her, pushed the button to open the door for her, and then glanced back at the table. "I suppose I wasn't either." They smiled at one another. Together they headed to the turbolift and rode in it in silence. She exited on her specified floor and walked down the hall. And it wasn't until she reached the doors to Sick Bay that she wished she had taken Jean-Luc's advice and gone back to her quarters for some rest.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Not everything is as it seems. . .

"23:00." Beverly grimaced at the thought of how long she's been without sleep. She looked at the computer screen that displayed the information from the tests they'd run that day; they couldn't find anything _'Not a damn thing.' _She thought. She yawned and stretched in the seat at her desk, trying her hardest to keep from falling asleep right there.

She'd been working and treating and testing for over seventeen hours now, and it was ironic to her that she felt like a prisoner in her own Sick Bay. Her eyelids felt as though they were made of led as she struggled to keep her eyes open. She propped her head up on her hand and tried to blink the ever thickening veil of tiredness away. She finally let herself succumb to the exhaustion and let her eyes slide closed, allowing the relaxing feeling of sleep wash over her like a wonderfully blessed rain after a long drought.

"Doctor?" Alyssa popped her serenely quiet bubble and forced her to come crashing back down to a drowsy reality. She stifled a yawn and spoke. "Yes Alyssa, what do you need?" She walked into her office and handed her a padd with the information from their latest analysis. "The test is finished; here are the results." She took the padd and read it silently, letting an aggravated sigh escape her lips. "No DNA to compare to anything in Star Fleet records, no other chemical or tissue samples; nothing. What could cause this kind of damage and not leave a trace?" She lightly tossed the padd aside and sat up, letting out a yawn and stretching in her seat. Alyssa crossed over to her. "Doctor, you should go get some rest. I can take care of things here."

Beverly looked up at her and smiled. "Thank you Alyssa, but I still have a lot to finish here. You go ahead; I'm fine." Alyssa began to walk out of her office as she continued to speak. "Alright, if you're sure. . ." Beverly simply smiled and gestured with her hand for her to go on. "I'll back be back in a little while. Andrew just told me he's having trouble with Michael. Husbands, they can never seem to figure out how to feed and burp a baby!" Beverly smiled. "I remember those days, have fun." Alyssa smiled back and walked out the door, filling the entire Sick Bay with a calming silence, except for the continuous beeping and humming of computers and other equipment. She rested her head on her hand and began to drift off again, the beeping and humming almost seemed to be singing her to sleep. As she fell into the relaxing abyss of slumber, her mind subconsciously analyzed everything that had happened; the negative test results, the rising number of injuries, the low epinephrine levels. . .

_Epinephrine. . . _

She shot upright to a sitting position. "That's it!" She muttered. She activated the computer and searched for the information she needed, her exhaustion seemed to disappear completely. After several minutes she found what she was looking for. She smiled and a tired laugh escaped her throat as she reread what she'd found. She pressed her comm badge and spoke, a happy tone breaking through in her voice.

"Crusher to Picard." _"Picard here, go ahead Beverly." _

"She bit her lip and smiled to herself as she spoke again. "I think I've figured out what this creature is." She could hear the relief that washed over him in his voice.

"_I'll be there in just a minute, Picard out." _

Beverly leaned back in her chair and breathed a long, deep sigh; they finally found what they needed. She loaded the information onto a padd and prepared herself for a senior officer's meeting, since that was probably what the captain was planning on doing next. The doors to Sick Bay opened and in walked Captain Picard, his authoritative posture not allowing any sign of relief to show on his face.

He strode into her office and spoke, his voice deep and resonating. "Doctor." She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice; she looked up at him from the computer and smiled. "Oh Jean-Luc. I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to get here this fast."

"I was already on my way here." He smiled and sat down at the seat across from her desk, then tugged at his uniform before settling into the comfortable chair. She stood and went around to the other side of her desk, then handed him the padd with the information she'd found. He read it quickly as she continued to talk. "I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. I'd read an article about it before, years ago; for some reason I just thought of it as I was drifting off to sleep." He read the information over and over, amazed that she had found it; and found it by chance. He set the padd aside and walked towards her, and then placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "You did it, Beverly; you've found it. Now we can figure out a way to locate it and get rid of it." He sounded different, softer. There was a certain tenderness in his voice that she did not here often. She turned and went back around to the other side of her desk, uncomfortable by the turn this conversation was taking. "If you'll excuse me Jean-Luc, I have some work to finish here." She kept her eyes down on her desk, trying to focus on the computer screen, the padd she'd read many times; anything but up into those hazel eyes of his. She yawned as the tiredness she knew earlier became all too real to her again. He crossed to the other side of her desk and next to her. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and tried to suppress another yawn that was threatening to come out. She kept her back to him, trying her hardest to ignore how she was feeling. He put his hands on her upper arms and gently rubbed his thumbs back and forth. She shuddered as a chill of apprehension (and pleasure) ran down her spine.

He brushed her coppery locks off of her shoulder and began to kiss her neck, then moved his lips over her ear and whispered. "How long has it been since you've gotten some . . . rest?" She bit her lip; she knew what he really meant. "Three days." "Far too long." He breathed. He turned her around and kissed her passionately. She knew that she shouldn't give in to it, the fire that he'd awakened within her, but she couldn't fight it; she couldn't even try. They wrapped their arms around each other continued the kiss, their tongues stroking the inside of their mouths.

'_No,' _she thought, _'we can't do this. Not here; not now.' _When the kiss finally ended, she let her hands come to a rest on his upper chest and kept her eyes on her feet; she knew that if she looked into his beautiful hazel eyes she lose what little control she had left. "Jean-Luc," she whispered so quietly that she was somewhat surprised he responded. "Yes Beverly." He held her face in his hand, running his thumb back and forth over her soft cheek, his hands were so warm. She took his hands into hers and, still looking down, continued to speak. "We shouldn't do this." She allowed herself to look up. "I love you, but-"

She let go of his hands and stared at him; he rested his hands on her shoulders. When she looked up, she didn't see the sparkling, hazel eyes she knew so well. Instead she saw eyes that burned with a reddish brown flame. She pulled herself away from him, astounded that she could have been fooled so easily by this thing. "What is it, Beverly? I'm Jean-Luc, your friend; you know me." He held his hand out to her, but she resisted it. She shook her head at him. "Believe me, I know Jean-Luc; and you are not him."

She expected it to try and defend itself with some poorly developed lie, but instead it just smiled at her with pointed, yellow teeth and said "I think you're right." He pushed her with all of his force, which sent her reeling into the wall. She hit her head and fell to the ground with a thud; her head pounding so furiously that she thought it would burst. Before she could stand he grabbed her by the throat and pulled her up off of her feet, then pinned her tightly against the wall. Her feet were dangling as her held off of the ground. She kicked at his shins and punched him with all her might, but that only made him angry. He held his hand up, and she saw his fingernails grow long and shape into claws. He swiped them across her face as she tried to pull away; four long tears now ran down her face. She screamed out in pain, but that only encouraged him to tighten his grip around her throat and cut off her cry for help.

She could feel the exhaustion taking over her again, but it was even stronger now than before. The room was beginning to spin, the only thing that remained in focus was the face she'd known almost her whole life. It twisted and distorted with an evil smile that made her shiver as numbness spread throughout her entire body. She was dying, and there was nothing she could do. He lowered her down to his eye level and chuckled wickedly at her pain and fear. "I had the pleasure of meeting your son," he whispered, "and I have to say that I look forward to . . . speaking to him again." She tried to fight it, fight the numbness, fight this creature, fight death, but she knew that it was hopeless. As the darkness began to wash over her she whispered "P-please." The last thing she saw was his eyes, now a bright red, burning on the face that she loved, that she'll always love.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Taking Chances

"Beverly!" She heard him shout. When she opened her eyes, she could make out the blurred image of Jean-Luc, the _real _Jean-Luc. He pulled out his phaser and, in slow motion it seemed to her, fired it at the creature that had her pinned. The shriek that it made as the red blast engulfed it was ear-piercing and horrible. It dropped her and ran towards Jean-Luc, its claws extended and mouth open for the strike. Jean-Luc held his arms over his face and chest and prepared himself for the attack, but the creature evaporated just before it would have slammed into him, turning into a reddish cloud before finally disappearing altogether. Sick Bay fell into an unsettling silence. He opened his eyes and, when he realized the creature had escaped, went over to Beverly's side.

She was unconscious. He rolled her over and a gasp escaped him when he saw the claw marks on her face. "Beverly." He said softly as he shook her shoulder, trying to wake her. "Beverly! Beverly please, come on!" He pleaded. "Wake up!" He grabbed a tricorder and flipped it open with shaking hands. He scanned her vitals; she was still alive. After a minute that seemed like an eternity, her eyelids fluttered and she forced them open against the bright light. Jean-Luc let out the breath he had been holding in, and spoke again. "Beverly, can you hear me?" As her eyes adjusted to the light, she could begin to make out his face; she knew he was the real Picard.

"Jean-Luc." She tried to sit up, but a pounding headache combined with immobilizing dizziness struck her hard. He steadied her and helped her to her feet. "Come on, we need to get your injuries treated." He wrapped his arm around her back as her arm rested on his shoulders. He helped her out of her office and over to a nearby biobed, her feet dragging as though they were made out of led. She sat down and told him what all he would need; a dermal regenerator, 20 cc's of kordrazine, and a tricorder to check for any other injuries. She saw the beam of reddish pink light burst out of the end of the regenerator and towards her face; it created a slight warming sensation as it closed the marks the creature had clawed into her face. As he closed the wounds, she began to remember the reason why she wanted to speak to him.

"The creature, I-" she winced when his hand accidentally brushed against the area where he'd healed the first claw mark. Even though the wound was closed, it still ached. "I know what it is. We need to have a senior officer's meeting; we have to get everyone together and figure out-" Jean-Luc had to stop her from hopping down from the Biobed.

"Beverly, you've been through quite a lot over the last few days. You've figured it out, and there is nothing that I want more than to find this thing, but you've got to rest. If you don't recuperate, you may very well cause yourself greater injuries." She let out a huff and spoke again. "I'm fine, Jean-Luc. I'm perfectly capable of helping you hunt this thing down."

"Damn it, Beverly; this thing attacked you! Have you always had such careless disregard for your own life?!" She was surprised at how upset he was getting. She knew he cared for her- and for all of his crew- but she never realized just how deeply he cared about her. She allowed herself to calm down, and placed her hand on his shoulder, to help him calm down as well.

"Jean-Luc, I'm _fine._" She cooed gently as a small smile developed in her face. She tried to look into his eyes, but he turned his face away; he was still too upset. She reached up and gently turned his face back towards hers. At first her resisted looking into her eyes, but could not help glancing up into them. He found himself gazing into them, those deep blue eyes that he could never resist. He was so completely lost in them that he almost did not hear what she said next.

"We're so close now; let me go to the senior officer's meeting and present my findings. Please, Jean-Luc?" He paused, thinking. He deeply wished that she wasn't so stubborn and would just follow a simple order when he gave it, but then she wouldn't be the woman he loved. He sighed and gave in.

"Alright, have your findings ready and put into a report. The senior officer's meeting will be in one hour." She smiled and squeezed his hand with hers to show her gratitude. "Thank you." She hopped down off of the biobed and walked back into her office to get her evidence ready. Jen-Luc tugged at his uniform and marched himself towards the Sickbay doors. He took one last glance back at her, smiled, then exited and left her to her work.

Will leaned forward in his seat in the Observation Lounge. "An epiphrenal being?" He questioned. He was still very tired; he had been asleep when this officer's meeting had been called, as everyone else gathered around the table had been (except for Jean-Luc and Beverly.)

Beverly sat forward and set down the padd she had been holding. "Yes; its name quite literally describes it." She went over to the wall computer and brought the screen to life. The screen changed from black to a picture of an epiphrenal being in its normal state. She continued to explain, referencing the image to help clarify.

"It's a life form composed completely of epiphrenal energy. When it's visible in its true form, it looks like this," she indicated the picture on the screen, "a reddish cloud that can appear and disappear at its leisure. It feeds off of the epinephrine of other people by using any means to frighten its prey, usually resulting in death of the victim. It can also take the form of whatever it chooses to be."

Deanna leaned forward, intrigued. "This is why so many people were able to be attacked, because it could take the appearance of any things it wants." Beverly nodded, and then continued.

"That's why the _Deimos _and the archaeologists were killed off by it, because it could pop up, kill as many people as it desired, feed on their fear, and then vanish without a trace."

"Well if it can appear and disappear as it pleases, how are we supposed to catch it?" Deanna responded.

Picard, greatly interested, answered this question before Beverly could have the chance to respond.

"Mr. LaForge, would the computer be able to register the epinephrine chemical that this creature is composed of? Geordi tugged at his uniform and spoke.

"If I re-programmed the computer to scan for high levels of epinephrine; yeah, it's possible." The captain nodded and quickly formulated a plan.

"Alright, here's what we'll do. We'll set a trap for the creature. Mr. LaForge, you will program the computer to search for extremely high levels of epinephrine; Data, Worf, you two will be waiting to beam it off the ship. Somehow, we have to lure it to the transporter room. . ." As the rest of the crew tried to think of a way, Deanna spoke up.

"I'll be it, sir." She said. "What, councilor?" She sighed and spoke again, more clearly this time. "I will be it, sir. The bait." Picard shook his head.

"No, Deanna. You're not going to risk your life to-" She cut him off quickly with a rebuttal.

"Everyone sitting around this table has already risked their life for me at least once; for most of them once this week already. I think I owe them at least this much." Picard tried arguing, but knew it was no use. Deanna could be just as stubborn as Beverly when she wanted to be. He let out a disgruntled sigh and let her do as she wished.

"Alright then, we will be ready and have everything in place at 08:00 hours. Dismissed." Everyone left the Observation Lounge except Picard, who stayed seated until the last person left. He stood from his seat and walked over to the windows, staring out at the endless expanse of stars.

Deanna's heart pounded loudly in her chest as she ran out of her bedroom and away from that thing. She sprinted through the corridor and headed for the turbolift; she could tell the creature was following closely behind her. She finally reached the turbolift doors and came to a screeching halt. She pressed the button on the panel as hard as she could to open the doors. She could hear it coming, it's breathing sounded like a rasping hiss; the sound sent chills down her spine. Finally the doors opened and she rushed inside, the doors closing quickly behind her. She took deep breaths to help her heart slow down. She finally got her pulse to a normal level, but she continued to breathe deeply.

Then she heard it- a quiet chuckle that slowly rose in volume until it pounded with extreme intensity in her ears. She winced and tried to cover them, but the sound still broke through with great intensity. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain dig into her back. Claw marks ran down her spine, staining her uniform with her blood. Luckily, the turbolift had arrived at its destination, and the doors slid open suddenly. She ran out into the hall, her heart pounding even harder than it had been before as she ran. Her legs burned with pain from the sprinting, but she kept running. She turned down the well-lit corridor and kept running. She could hear the evil laugh growing louder as it followed closely behind her. She came to another set of doors, opened them quickly, and ran through.

She ran onto the transporter pad and knelt down, holding her head in her hands. She heard Will shout from the corner of the transporter room. "Worf, Data; now!" The lights on the transporter pad lit up, the bright blue lights shining brightly in her eyes. She looked up and could see a clawed hand extending toward her, the blue light then engulfing the creature and transporting it back to what was left of the _Deimos_; it was gone. Will rushed over and helped her to her feet as everyone else let out cheers and cries of happiness. Beverly went over to Will and Deanna and quickly closed her wounds with the medikit she had brought with her. Once she had finished treating her, Will wrapped his arms tightly around her, not intending to let go of her for a long time. Jean-Luc walked over to Beverly and placed his hand on her shoulder; she turned and looked into his eyes, the hazel eyes she knew so well.

"Congratulations, Beverly. You did it; your information saved us."

He hugged her, squeezing her lovingly in his arms. When they parted she looked down at her feet, and could feel herself blushing. She looked back up. "We all did it." He smiled at her. Then, remembering that he hadn't yet given the orders to leave, he tapped his comm badge.

"Picard to ensign Tarren."

"_Tarren here, sir."_

"The creature is now back on the _Deimos_ where it belongs, please take us out of here ensign; warp 5." As the shuttle warped away from the destroyed starship, the intense fear that had once filled the ship began to disappear; they could feel it. Slowly they made their way out of the transporter room, a few at a time. The last person to leave was Beverly, who, as she went through the doors, glanced back into Jean-Luc's eyes, and then left, leaving him alone with his thoughts in the empty room.

So, I forgot to add this earlier (which just goes to show how ditsy I can be sometimes! ;D) Anyway, this could be the final chapter, but I'm leaving the final decision up to you all. Do you think the story should here, or should Beverly and Jean-Luc have a chance to talk about everything that happened, (and what could happen), or should Beverly go talk to Deanna about the way she feels? And if it continues, should they take their relationship to the next level, or will one of them walk awa? This one is up to you guys, so review and PM me and let me know how you think it should end! I'll also be writing story down the line that I will do this same process on: I write the first chapter, ask you guys what should happen next, and I write it, and so on. I hope you guys let me know, and have a super awesome day everyone! :D


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